MADISON, S.D. - Dakota State University Athletics will recognize Miles and Lisa Beacom and their daughter Ashlee for their scholarship gifts to the Dakota State University Athletic Department. The Beacom Appreciation Night will be held on Jan. 29 (Wednesday) during a basketball doubleheader versus Mayville State (N.D.) at the DSU Fieldhouse. Miles, Lisa and Ashlee Beacom will be named honorary captains at the start of the men's basketball game followed by a presentation ceremony at halftime.

The Beacom family has made a contribution of $45,000 to the DSU athletic scholarship program - $15,000 will be awarded to three sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball as part of the 'Make a Difference' Scholarship Campaign. These gifts will aid the coaches in recruiting quality student-athletes in the three respective sports.

Last November, Miles Beacom and T. Denny Sanford announced their pledge to donate $5 million to the University. The gift will be used to help renovate the current Madison Community Hospital into what will become the Beacom Institute of Technology building.

With the gift, the University plans to assist even more students in reaching their goals by providing them with a state-of-the-art technology facility. The facility will include a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) which will allow DSU faculty and students to do secure work for the Federal Government.

Beacom was a former student-athlete at Dakota State. He was on the Trojan cross country and track and field teams in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Beacom graduated from Dakota State College (DSC) in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business with a minor in economics. He credited his education at Dakota State for his success today as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Premier Bankcard.